Apparatus for liquid extraction from liquid-containing material with an adjustable discharge opening

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for liquid extraction, comprising a frame with a rugged cylindrical concave surface, a driven roller or disc cooperating with said surface to form a tapering pressing chamber having an outlet with a throttle shaped as a bar which is cylindrical for the greater part, said throttle lying in a cylindrical pocket of the frame; the throttle is adjustable by means of a tilting movement.

United States Patent 1191 A z Q 11 1 3 ,830,153

Smorenburg l 1 1 Aug. 20, 1974 APPARATUS FOR LIQUID EXTRACTION [56 I References Cited FROM LIQUID-CONTAINING MATERIAL. UNITED STATES PATENTS WITH AN ADJUSTABLE DISCHARGE 2,121,932 6/1938 Slocum 100/177 OPENING 2,567,045 9 1951 Amery 100 121 2,915,005 12/1959 HCtZiel' 100/121 [75] Inventor' xg g f 3,076,250 2/1963 Baer 100/156 ux er S 3,608,477 9/1971 Weber 100/156 [73] Assignee: Stork Amsterdam N.V., Amstelveen,

' Netherlands Primary Examiner-Peter Feldman Filed: Mar. 6, 1973 Attorney, Agent, or firm-EdmundM. -Jask1ew1cz [21] Appl.,No.: 338,428 I [57] ABSTRACT l I Apparatus for liquid extraction, comprising a frame [30] Foreign Application Priority Data -with a rugged cylindrical concave surface, a driven roller or disc cooperating with said surface to form a Mar. 8, 1972 Netherlands 723099 I p g p g chamber having outlet with a 5 1 throttle. shaped asa bar} which is'cylindrical for the l greater parflsaid throttle lying in a cylindrical pocket I f the frame the throttle is adjustable by means of a [58] Field of Search 100/37, 121, 210,155," r o 6 01 11 1 2 ,Drmving Fig ur'es PAIENIEnmszomu APPARATUS FOR LIQUID EXTRACTION FROM LIQUID-CONTAINING MATERIAL WITH AN ADJUSTABLE DISCHARGE OPENING DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART My invention relates to an apparatus for liquid extraction from liquid-containing material, comprising in a manner known per se a frame with a rotatable disc or roller with rugged surface and a bent guide wall, constituting together with said disc or roller a pressing chamber, for the material to be treated, the said chamber tapering towards the outlet, the narrow end of the pressing chamber being provided with a throttle regulating the size of the discharge opening. In this known apparatus the throttle is embodied as a conical or wedgeshaped body capable of adjustment by means of a linear movement or translation.

A first drawback of this known apparatus consists in that much power is required for adjusting the throttle adjusted when the apparatus is in operation. Secondly the discharge opening often does not change uniformly when the throttle is adjusted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My invention aims to obviate these difficulties, particularly to decrease the power required for adjusting the throttle. This is achieved according to the invention by giving the throttle the form of a bar with a cylindrical outer surface for a considerable portion, by providing a cylindrical pocket for said bar in a part of the frame, the centre line of the pocket being parallel to the centre line of the disc or roller, by making an opening in this pocket directed towards the roller, the noncylindrical portion of the throttle having a flattened or concave part, means being provided capable of tilting the bar around its axis and of retaining the same in a chosen position.

Due to this feature the size of the discharge opening can be adjusted with minor effort, the adjustment being uniformly effected. The result is that the pressure distribution in the pressing chamber will uniformly increase towards the outlet which benefits smooth operation of the pressing apparatus.

SURVEY OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross-section through the apparatus. FIG. 2 represents the throttle with part of the frame.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT frame 1 by means of bolts 9 and nuts 10.

The surface of the throttle 5 is for the greater part cylindrical and has a longitudinal flattening or concave part 11, whereby a curved face 12 is formed. The throttle 5 is longitudinally divided in two parts according to a contact face 13.

A second position of the throttle 5 with the lever 6 is indicated in dash lines.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the block 8 in the dismounted condition.

The throttle 5 is slid into the cylindrical pocket 7. A central space 14 is formed in the block 8 in which the lever 6 can be turned through a considerable angle in the assembled condition of the block.

The operation is rather simple; before the block 8 is assembled the throttle 5 is slid into the cylindrical pocket 7, whereby the lever 6 can be freely moved towards the central space 14 of the block via the opening of the pocket 7. By turning the lever 6 in the space 14, the throttle 5 can be brought into the correct position. Thereupon the block 8 is assembled so that, after putting the press in operation, the discharge opening can be adjusted by tilting lever 6 through a reduced angle. When the throttle no longer meets the necessary requirements it can be replaced rapidly and effectively.

One of the advantages is that the discharge opening can be adjusted and held constant with a rather small effort. The wear of the throttle can be efficiently and cheaply reduced by constructing the part thereof which is exposed to intense wear, from a hard material. Experiments have proved that the pressed cake issues from the discharge opening as a dry and solid slab.

The shape of the throttle can further be selected such that a gradual and uniform change of the discharge opening to be adjusted, is obtained; hence when adjusting, no dead spaces are formed or formation is at least limited to a minimum. Consequently unnecessary accumulation of material during a lapse of time in particular sections of the pressing chamber is almost entirely avoided. Since a rather great surface of the throttle absorbs the inevitable forces, the throttle will better keep its position. Thus splits or openings owing to deformation or displacement of the throttle will show to a much lesser extent than in the case of known throttles.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for liquid extraction from liquidcontaining material, comprising a frame with a rotatable disc or roller with rugged surface, and a bent guide wall constituting together with said disc or roller a pressing chamber for the material to be treated, said chamber tapering towards the outlet, the narrow end of the pressing chamber being provided with a throttle regulating the size of the discharge opening, said throttle being bar-shaped with a cylindrical outer surface for a considerable portion and being supported in a cylindrical pocket of part of the frame, the centre line of the pocket being parallel to the centre line of the roller, said pocket having an opening directed towards the roller while the non-cylindrical portion of the throttle has a flattened or concave part, means being provided capable of tilting the bar around its axis and of retaining the same in a chosen position.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the tilting means operating upon the throttle consist of at least one lever secured perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the throttle.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the tilting means consists of a lever disposed in the centre of the throttle.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the concave part in the throttle has a curved shape which can be positioned such that it is substantially concentrical 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the with the Surface of the whercontact surface consists of different portions, which are 5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the barshaped throttle consists of at least two parts with a mutual contact surface, each part being manufactured 5 2 a dove tallfrom a different material.

either staggered, or relatively inclined so as to form 

1. Apparatus for liquid extraction from liquid-containing material, comprising a frame with a rotatable disc or roller with rugged surface, and a bent guide wall constituting together with said disc or roller a pressing chamber for the material to be treated, said chamber tapering towards the outlet, the narrow end of the pressing chamber being provided with a throttle regulating the size of the discharge opening, said throttle being bar-shaped with a cylindrical outer surface for a considerable portion and being supported in a cylindrical pocket of part of the frame, the centre line of the pocket being parallel to the centre line of the roller, said pocket having an opening directed towards the roller while the non-cylindrical portion of the throttle has a flattened or concave part, means being provided capable of tilting the bar around its axis and of retaining the same in a chosen position.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the tilting means operating upon the throttle consist of at least one lever secured perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the throttle.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the tilting means consists of a lever disposed in the centre of the throttle.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the concave part in the throttle has a curved shape which can be positioned such that it is substantially concentrical with the surface of the roller.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the bar-shaped throttle consists of at least two parts with a mutual contact surface, each part being manufactured from a different material.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the contact surface consists of different portions, which are either staggered, or relatively inclined so as to form ridges, or a dove tail. 